Philippine bishop blasts medicine hoarders
January 18, 2022 · By Joseph Peter Calleja, Manila for www.ucanews.com
Health workers check identification documents of people queuing for coronavirus swab tests outside a gymnasium in Manila on Jan. 7 after infections driven by the Omicron variant soared in the Philippine capital. (Photo: AFP)
Philippine bishop blasts medicine hoarders
A Catholic bishop in the Philippines has warned people against bulk buying and hoarding medicines like paracetamol and cough syrup to alleviate Covid symptoms.
Bishop Oscar Jaime Florencio, who heads the bishops’ healthcare commission, said on Jan. 10 that hoarding ultimately victimized the poor as the practice results in shortages and price hikes.
He was responding to recent reports about a shortage of anti-flu drugs due to panic buying.
“Drug shortages can have a significant impact on patient care, and hoarding may worsen the problem … Hoarding means there are fewer medicines available and the poor cannot buy them anymore because they’re not available,” Bishop Florencio told church-run Radyo Veritas.
He said he saw no reason for panic buying by the rich except greed which stops the poor from purchasing needed medicine.
“Greed is the culprit. It is greedy to buy a large amount,” the prelate said.
“If we don’t need that much, don’t buy that many drugs. It is not just you who wants to live. We have thousands of fellow Filipinos testing positive for Covid each day. Give them a chance to get well by making the medicines they need available when they need them.”
Several drug companies in Manila reported they were struggling to meet the demand for paracetamol and other medicines amid a surge of infections.
On Jan. 10, there were 33,169 new cases of the fast-spreading Omicron variant, according to the health department.
Authorities, however, denied there were medicine shortages but admitted President Rodrigo Duterte was looking at setting limits on purchases.
“While there is an observed increase in demand for such products, there is no ongoing shortage in the Philippines,” Department of Trade and Industry Secretary Ramon Lopez told reporters on Jan. 10.
Lopez said popular brands may be scarce but generic medicines were readily available.
Bishop Florencio also encouraged fully vaccinated people to convince the unvaccinated to get inoculated to avoid severe Covid-19 complications.
“Give assurances to those unvaccinated that it is safe … Vaccines save lives. So, even before hoarding medicines, let us first convince others to get jabbed,” he said.
As of Jan. 9, at least 52.3 million of the Philippines’ roughly 111 million population had been fully vaccinated, according to the latest government figures.
